KYIV (UKRAINE) – Belarusian authorities have enforced new charges against two prominent critics of President Alexander Lukashenko who were jailed during mass protests. They have been accused of extremism and for attempting to seize power, their lawyer said on Friday.
The charges against Maria Kolesnikova and Maxim Znak could lead them to an imprisonment of 12 years. Kolesnikova was one among the three women who teamed up in an election against Lukashenko last year resulting in a crackdown against months of unrest.
The charges overlapped with Lukashenko staging a two-day “People’s Assembly” which according to him is intended to encourage political reform. The opposition has, however, dismissed saying a sham to further help the veteran leader hold onto power.
More than 33,000 people have been detained during the protests. The crackdown has led to new Western sanctions but Lukashenko has not agreed to step down, with the diplomatic and financial support from Russia.
Lawyer Dmitriy Laevski said Znak was being punished “for not being afraid. For not giving up”. “There are no legal grounds for any of the charges,” he added.
In a second speech on Friday, Lukashenko talked about how Belarusians should renounce their smartphones, as it were being monitored by the United States. One of the delegates suggested awarding Lukashenko the title “Hero of Belarus”.
He was referring to himself as an “authoritarian” leader, Lukashenko drew his attention to Viktor Babariko, another electoral opponent, jailed last year on charges of corruption, which the latter says were fabricated.
“Everyone is worried about Babariko: ah, the president’s rival was imprisoned. Yes, I don’t care about such competitors,” Lukashenko told the assembly.
She wrote on Twitter that exiled opposition figure Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya saw the assembly as a farce. “Fake elections, fake inauguration, fake democracy. The regime holds Belarusians hostage,”
The US embassy called the assembly “neither genuine nor inclusive of Belarusian views and therefore does not address the country’s ongoing political crisis.”
